Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-06-04
OLD FAIR GROUNDS.
An ORDER ~ SALE ENTEREplN THE CIR
CUT Court
TIE Trac. of twenty-five Acres To be
Surveyed OF Into Lots Some
Scraps Of History.

Scraps Of History.
In Part One of the Circuit Court, Judge
BOYD. Yesterday, an order WAS entered ap-
pointing commissioners to sell that por-
ton OF the Island lying north OF Zane ana
west of North Huron streets, and known
As the old Fair Grounds. This order
arises out OF a suit in chancery brought by
James II. Oglebay, Earl W. Oglebay and
Frank NJ. Oglebay, partners doing bust
ness under the firm name of Oglebay Bros,
Jacob HOrubrook, Samuel J. Boyd, and
Earl W. Oglebay individually, they being
stockholders in tine Northwestern Virginia
Agricultural Association, and holding a ma
iority of livestock, against c. =. Brown, ia
cob Berger, Frances Archibald, admnistra-
trix OF the estate OF Jemima NJ. Alexander,
deceased, A. J. Cecil, George Deusch, J. G.
Hoffman, ST., AlonzO LOring, Robert Il.
Mcl.ain, Henry Il. McI.ain, August Rolf,
NJ. Reilly, Anton Reymann, Thomas 7.
Shallcross. Henry Stamm, John p. Trus-
Chel; Louis Gaus, in his own right, and Us
survivor of himself and John Warnaieldt,
now deceased, late partners doing business
as Gaus " Warnaleldt; Catharine Warna-
/ feldt. administrators of the estate OF John
| Warnafeldt, deceased; Alfred Caldwell,
administrator OF the estate OF Bertrand
Mlrabeu. deceased; Henry Amick, admlu-
/ istrator of the estate OF John Amlck, de
ceased: Jacob Berger, administrator OF the
estate OF W. II. Berger, deceased;
| Frank Booth, administrator of the estate
of G.. II. Booth, deceased; I. +.
| Phillips, and the Wheeling and Belmont
/ Bridge Company-the action being brought
for the purpose of obtaining decree oil
Court to sell the property and divide the
proceeds. after paying costs and taxes, pro
r,J,, anon. the stockholders. This order,
AS we have stated. the Court made, ap-
pointing Messrs. Geo. Il. Caldwell and
William Erskine special commissioners to
carry out the decree. As 4 preliminary 10
the making OF the order, the clam oil the
Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company
for a right of way through part oi the
south side Of the grounds was compro-
missed, the Company waving the night IN
consideration of securing 4 Strlpot ground
from the Fair Association adjoining the
piece now owned by the Bridge Company
and fronting on Zane street. near the APP
pruach to the Back bridge. The property
10 be sold contains about twenty-three
acres, and fronts ON the west side Ot North
Huron street and the north side OF Zane
street. 1t was originally in three parts.
The northermOst portion comprises lots
Nos | To IL, both inclusive, IN square No.
:. of jiilchriSt's amended addition. 1t was
purchased from Joseph kirgcsSner, Feb
ruary, u, ISL. The second portion,
fronting on Huron street, was purchased
November l., 1857. from G.. T.. Brown, W.
II. Peterson, J. C.. Orr, j. X. BotsiOrd, I.
Z. ShallcrOss and Alex. I.aughlin. II con
tains > acres, > rOOds and 60 poles. The
third tract was also purchased from the
parties above mentioned, and contains Ii
acres, l rood and 1856 poles.
The Northwestern Virginia Agricultural
Society, OF which the parties to the suit
lust decided were the stockholders, WAS
incorporated by the Acts OF l~66 and ISL,
succeeding the old Association OF the same
name, organized away back about 1880.
The first fair held upon the grounds
was under the original corpora
ton, about lS52 or lS5S. The
reorganized corporation used the grounds
Tor fair purposes for several years after ac-
uuiring the property, but iur the last SiN-
teen or eighteen years no fairs were held,
and the whole original purpose and object
Of the corporation seems Ia have been
Abandoned, the land lying idle save Tor an
| occasional circus and picnic, on something
Of "a kindred nature. The capital stock of
/ the Association was in LIS shares of 500
each, more than two-thlrds of 1t being
held BY Jacob IiOrnbrook, :. j. Boyd and
/ Oslebay Bros. Some few years ago, long
after the stock had ceased To he profitable,
the stockholders got together and deter
mined upon making sale. The
small owners objected to the ar
rangement, and the disagreement re-
suited in the matter getting into the courts.
| The Supreme Court of the State, where the
cause finally wouad up, dcciucd that 4
sale could not be made, holding, among
other things, that there was no Board OF
/ Directors, and that the stockholders could
not take upon themselves acts which could
only properly be performed by y Board.
| The matter then ian along in the old way
until the present suit came up, with the
resulting agreement Is above narrated.
The special commissioners are empower
eel To sell the ground either ~ u whole or
/ by lots, ~ may be deemed best tor the in
tcrtstS of all concerned, and it is probable
the land will soon he offered to purchasers.
/ The ground has quite "a history IN local
way. During the war 1t WAS often used rs
a camping ground tor troops, the buildings
and stalls being fitted up with hunks, Nc,
while the center of the ring made splendid
/ drill ground. The old Standard and Ath-
| letic Base Ball clubs had irdiamond on
| the ground, and many rIttling game hal
/ taken place there. Ten years ago the blg
sham battle took place there, when
l troops from three States were review
/ ed by Governor Mathews, in the pres
enCe of fifteen thousand people.
/ Picnics, circus, political meet
ingS, and all sorts of outdoor demonStra-
tiuns have there occurred, and every citi-
zen, almost, can recall one ar more occa-
sions when he spent a day in whole or in
part on the premises. Some years ago
/ there was quite movement inaugurated
/ 10 have the city purchase the land and lay
it out tor a public park, something for
which it is admirably adapted. The pro
iect fell through, however, largely because
of the inability Of the stockholders OF the
| association to agree among themselves.
other Court News.
SUPREME COURT.
This Court met ut 10 o'clock yesterday
| ,.,.,r,,,r., all tho Tptl,rp.s hait,tr prpSput